Join General Leia’s Crew in Star Wars: Droid Repair Bay
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Have you ever wanted to be a part of the Resistance? Thanks to
the incredible ingenuity of ILMxLAB, you’re able to
do just that with the official VR experience connected to Star
Wars: The Last Jedi: Star Wars:Droid Repair Bay
— Astro-Mechanic for the Resistance, available today in select
territories for HTC Vive on Steam and Viveport, and Samsung Gear on the Oculus Store.

Whether you make the trip through hyperspace to a local Nissan dealership or download the full
interactive experience to your VR device at home, Star
Wars:Droid Repair Bay is a can’t-miss chance to live
out your dream of being a vital part of the crew on a ship in the
galaxy far, far away.

Daniel Aasheim, senior producer at ILMxLAB, chatted over e-mail
with StarWars.com about the making of this unique experience and
what novice astromech mechanics can expect aboard General Leia’s
ship.

StarWars.com: Why did you choose VR as the platform for
Droid Repair Bay?

Daniel Aasheim: At ILMxLAB, we are focused on
telling the right story for the right platform. We started talking
a few months back about making a piece centered around droids; Ben
Peck, our engineer for Droid Repair Bay, had been
experimenting with BB-8 to understand what it could be like to
really be in a virtual space with him.

That was a compelling thought to Lucasfilm and ILMxLAB, and so
we decided to explore droids in virtual reality in a deeper
capacity which lead us to what you’re seeing today.

There really is no better way to get up close to your favorite
droid – and now you have the opportunity to hang with a whole bunch
of them on General Leia’s ship, a location seen in Star Wars:
The Last Jedi.

StarWars.com: Can you tell us a little about BB-8’s new
astromech droid friends?

Daniel Aasheim: Each and every one of them is
as full of personality – and attitude – as our friend
BB-8. Being a part of the Lucasfilm companies allowed us
to leverage amazing talent on the design, and work directly with
the Story Group to bring true authenticity to each character,
really bringing them to life in the Star Wars
universe.

StarWars.com: Are there any other familiar faces in
Droid Repair Bay?

Daniel Aasheim: Mostly there a lot of new
faces! There are three new BB units developed specifically for our
unique virtual reality story, and some more petite versions, if you
will, as well that help around the droid repair bay on General
Leia’s ship.

If you look closely, though, you might catch a glimpse of
someone that BB-8 hangs around with…

StarWars.com: What’s the most exciting part of working
on a VR experience like Droid Repair Bay?

Daniel Aasheim: Working with the talented teams
at ILMxLAB and in the greater Lucasfilm company to create a unique,
new, authentic Star Wars story in virtual reality has been
a real honor.

Our team also has kicked off accessibility research for people
with disabilities, and we were able to incorporate some learnings
from that research in this VR story. That’s super important for
ILMxLAB – making accessible, and authentic, Star Wars
content.

And did I mention we get to work on droids? Seriously. All day.
There’s not much that brings more happiness to your day besides
spending it with these characters.

StarWars.com: Any tips for astromech mechanics who have
never used VR before?

Daniel Aasheim: Steady hands are your best
friend… besides a droid, that is. Don’t forget to interact with
them either. They really are their own characters, with their own
droid-appropriate quirks.

If you don’t have access to a VR device, you can still be a
part of General Leia’s crew! Droid Repair Bay is a 360
degree short story now on YouTube.Star Wars Droid Repair Bay – A 360 Storymay not be completely interactive, but is just as breathtaking
and engaging as the full VR experience.

Kelly Knox is a freelance writer who loves creating crafts
with her daughter. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox, and take a look at her blog
the st{art}
button for more Star Wars art
projects and craft ideas.

Have you ever wanted to be a part of the Resistance? Thanks to
the incredible ingenuity of ILMxLAB, you’re able to
do just that with the official VR experience connected to Star
Wars: The Last Jedi: Star Wars:Droid Repair Bay
— Astro-Mechanic for the Resistance, available today in select
territories for HTC Vive on Steam and Viveport, and Samsung Gear on the Oculus Store.

Whether you make the trip through hyperspace to a local Nissan dealership or download the full
interactive experience to your VR device at home, Star
Wars:Droid Repair Bay is a can’t-miss chance to live
out your dream of being a vital part of the crew on a ship in the
galaxy far, far away.

Daniel Aasheim, senior producer at ILMxLAB, chatted over e-mail
with StarWars.com about the making of this unique experience and
what novice astromech mechanics can expect aboard General Leia’s
ship.

StarWars.com: Why did you choose VR as the platform for
Droid Repair Bay?

Daniel Aasheim: At ILMxLAB, we are focused on
telling the right story for the right platform. We started talking
a few months back about making a piece centered around droids; Ben
Peck, our engineer for Droid Repair Bay, had been
experimenting with BB-8 to understand what it could be like to
really be in a virtual space with him.

That was a compelling thought to Lucasfilm and ILMxLAB, and so
we decided to explore droids in virtual reality in a deeper
capacity which lead us to what you’re seeing today.

There really is no better way to get up close to your favorite
droid – and now you have the opportunity to hang with a whole bunch
of them on General Leia’s ship, a location seen in Star Wars:
The Last Jedi.

StarWars.com: Can you tell us a little about BB-8’s new
astromech droid friends?

Daniel Aasheim: Each and every one of them is
as full of personality – and attitude – as our friend
BB-8. Being a part of the Lucasfilm companies allowed us
to leverage amazing talent on the design, and work directly with
the Story Group to bring true authenticity to each character,
really bringing them to life in the Star Wars
universe.

StarWars.com: Are there any other familiar faces in
Droid Repair Bay?

Daniel Aasheim: Mostly there a lot of new
faces! There are three new BB units developed specifically for our
unique virtual reality story, and some more petite versions, if you
will, as well that help around the droid repair bay on General
Leia’s ship.

If you look closely, though, you might catch a glimpse of
someone that BB-8 hangs around with…

StarWars.com: What’s the most exciting part of working
on a VR experience like Droid Repair Bay?

Daniel Aasheim: Working with the talented teams
at ILMxLAB and in the greater Lucasfilm company to create a unique,
new, authentic Star Wars story in virtual reality has been
a real honor.

Our team also has kicked off accessibility research for people
with disabilities, and we were able to incorporate some learnings
from that research in this VR story. That’s super important for
ILMxLAB – making accessible, and authentic, Star Wars
content.

And did I mention we get to work on droids? Seriously. All day.
There’s not much that brings more happiness to your day besides
spending it with these characters.

StarWars.com: Any tips for astromech mechanics who have
never used VR before?

Daniel Aasheim: Steady hands are your best
friend… besides a droid, that is. Don’t forget to interact with
them either. They really are their own characters, with their own
droid-appropriate quirks.

If you don’t have access to a VR device, you can still be a
part of General Leia’s crew! Droid Repair Bay is a 360
degree short story now on YouTube.Star Wars Droid Repair Bay – A 360 Storymay not be completely interactive, but is just as breathtaking
and engaging as the full VR experience.

Kelly Knox is a freelance writer who loves creating crafts
with her daughter. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox, and take a look at her blog
the st{art}
button for more Star Wars art
projects and craft ideas.